Sean's kiss woke Angeline up. She was still in a daze when she felt a burning tongue nimbly enter her mouth, slowly and softly kissing her. Angeline moaned. She weakly opened her eyes to see Sean's handsome face before her. When she was about to push him away, Sean pinned her arms to her sides. Noticing Angeline had woken up, Sean didn't hold back and aggressively sucked on her mouth. The only memory Angeline could recall on that day was that she was pinned down on the bed by Sean while their phone screen kept flickering until their battery ran out. When the two woke up, Angeline was dizzy due to lack of sleep as she tried to work her way through the accumulated documents. In contrast, Sean was energized, possibly due to satisfaction. He even considerately helped with Angeline's work. "Please control yourself next time!" Angeline wanted to scold Sean, but her ears and cheeks flushed red when she spoke. Her words didn't sound convincing at all. "Look at how much work we've
"Our search engine saw it as one of the trending topics on social media," Jamie said. "The PR department immediately suppressed the news after seeing it and is currently in discussion with DramaTrauma Press' editor-in-chief. "The PR department called the secretariat earlier, asking what to do. They'll issue a cease and desist letter if it's fake news. But if there's some misunderstanding, we should explain." To speak bluntly, the PR department was worried that Angeline might reconcile with Ned. After all, Ingrid was an international star with a large number of fans all around the globe. Some of them were even shippers for Ned and Ingrid. Especially after Fletcher Corporation went bankrupt, Ingrid never left Ned. Some fans even found out that Ingrid had given her savings to Ned. Adding to Ned entering the entertainment industry, some shippers said he had done this for Ingrid. Thus, the fans shipped their relationship even harder. Ned and Ingrid's heartwrenching love stories
"If we can't suppress the news and they really want to publish the scandal, ask the PR department to tell DramaTrauma Press not to publish fake news. Otherwise, we reserve the right to pursue legal action," Angeline said. "Okay, Ms. Lawson!" Jamie replied before hanging up. Angeline looked toward Sean, who just returned from the phone call at the balcony, and asked, "Is it about Ned, too?" "Yup. I've asked the PR department to suppress it as much as they could. And if they can't, share a post on Twitter to thank Ingrid and Ned for saving Yasmine," Sean replied. "Also, urge the police to crack the case as soon as possible. After all, the police have the strongest credibility." Angeline put her phone by the side and massaged her temples. "And here I thought I could stop getting involved with Ned. I guess I'll have to give him a well-publicized thank now." Sean sat beside Angeline and put down his phone. He looked at her with his deep-set eyes before pulling and placing her on h
"Here's my advice, Ms. Angeline," Asher said. "Once the news gets out, I'm sure all the public's attention will be on whether Yasmine is Mr. Fletcher's daughter and if you two will reconcile because of her. "Plus, a highly topical actress like Ms. Dalton is also involved in this scandal. You'll be expecting gossip once the news gets out! People will probably try to guess who Yasmine's father is." Asher continued, "While our PR department can suppress the news, no one knows if it might get leaked one day. What if the public thinks you're trying to reconcile with Mr. Fletcher through Yasmine? After all, your relationship with Mr. Fletcher was one the talk of all Oceanford."So, I recommend that we be prepared for the worst. People would think twice about the scandal if you were dating Mr. Hooper. While Mr. Hooper is a divorcee, he's a better candidate for a groom than Mr. Fletcher. Plus, why would you reconcile with Mr. Fletcher when you're seeing Mr. Hooper?" Asher gave Angeline
"Granddad arranged for me to have dinner with Mr. Hooper tonight. They're worried people might gossip about me, Ned, and Ingrid if the PR department failed to suppress the news," Angeline explained, worrying that Sean might be uncomfortable. "After all, we have an international star, a bankrupted toff, and his ex-wife as the headliners. Think about the stories they could tell! Besides, I can't tell them you're Yasmine's father if they started talking about her parentage. So, Mr. Millstone wanted to use Mr. Hooper as a smokescreen," Angeline added. "I understand," Sean said before kissing Angeline deeply. Angeline moaned and tried pushing Sean away. But he grabbed her hand with one hand and cradled her head with another before leaning in for another deep kiss. The kiss was as aggressive as last night's as if he was trying to swallow her lips. Sean stopped and let go of Angeline before sucking hard on her lips just as Angeline was about to suffocate. "I have nothing to worry ab
"Help yourself with the drinks in the fridge. I'll go get changed," Angeline said. "I don't mean anything about the bouquet. Grandpa told me to bring it. He said someone would be filming us, so it was just for the act," Nathaniel explained. "Should I arrange the flowers for you? You can take your time. No rush." "Sure, thanks!" Angeline quickly got changed in the dressing room. Nathaniel took his coat off and unwrapped the bouquet. He trimmed the flowers and arranged them in the vase while humming a song. Women usually took a long time to get changed and put on make-up. Hence, Nathaniel thought it'd be better to arrange the flowers instead of foolishly waiting on the couch. At least he had something to do, and Angeline wouldn't feel pressured. Unexpectedly, Angeline got changed very quickly, as he had only arranged two flowers when Angeline came out of the dressing room. Angeline put her long hair down. She wore a champagne, pleated dress with a white silk jacket. She clu
Although Nathaniel was the same age as Sean, he behaved like a child and had always been curious. "Everyone has their secret, Mr. Hooper." Angeline walked toward Nathaniel's flamboyant, yellow sports car while holding onto his arm. Nathaniel smiled while opening the car door courteously for Angeline. "You're right. I shall stop asking, then." After Nathaniel entered the car, he thoughtfully helped Angeline buckle her seatbelt. "It's okay. I got this," Angeline said."My grandpa said if we act intimately, it's more unlikely for the paparazzi to say that you've intervened in your ex-husband's new relationship even when you two were divorced." Nathaniel put on his seat belt. With one hand on the steering wheel, he stepped on the gas pedal and drove off. On the way, Angeline asked, "Are you this collaborative because of Rachel?" Angeline supposed that Nathaniel had only agreed to put on this act for Rachel's sake. "Not necessarily. After all, I was the one who brought Rachel
Amidst the night lights of bustling cities and busy roads, Nathaniel looked extra childish while putting on a stoic expression. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hooper. How old are you?" Angeline raised a brow. "What? Are you trying to cheat even when you've won?" Nathaniel mocked. Angeline was speechless, but she still locked her pinky finger with Nathaniel's and sealed them with a thumb stamp. Nathaniel was finally satisfied."Alright! Rachel will be out of my life from now on!" Nathaniel said with a smile. Despite his love for Rachel, Nathaniel would tolerate anything about her except her stupidity. Nathaniel didn't tell Angeline that she was also one of the candidates for his bride in the future. This was because he didn't dislike Angeline and knew exactly how outstanding she was. Jeremy also had an eye on her, not only because of her ability but also because of her value of love and loyalty. Despite Angeline's past relationship with Ned, Angeline had protected Ned during the car a
As soon as the words were out of Angeline's mouth, the sound of lounge slippers padding across the floor rang out. Yasmine ignored the shock on Ned's face and turned to reach for Sean. "Hold me, Daddy!"Sean smiled and lifted her into his arms. Then, he stood beside Angeline and looked at Ned imperiously. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fletcher. I'm Shane Kingston. Thank you for pushing Angie away in the past—it led to my relationship with her."Ned knew precisely who "Shane" was. Just a few days ago, he'd seen the news about Melissa's press conference explaining her relationship with "Shane".His mind buzzed. He knew Sean and Shane looked similar enough for Dexter's men to have gotten the wrong person. However, he hadn't expected "Shane" to have anything to do with Angeline!"You… Are you the kids' father?" Ned's voice was incredibly shaky."Yes, and again, thank you for that!" Sean smiled. "We've never told anyone about this because I didn't want to endanger Angie and the kids.
Sean didn't give Angeline the chance to finish. "You were right to bring this up to me!"He wrapped his arms around her from behind and continued, "You and the kids will always be my main priority. I know I said I want Melissa to remain safe and happy under my watch, but my feelings for her are purely familial love."She's family to me, and I must care for her. But you and the kids mean more to me than anything else in the world, including her."His honesty made Angeline feel slightly more at ease. She said, "Those are your words, not mine…""I swear on my life that I mean every word." He pressed a kiss to her head. "Can I stay here tonight? I want to sleep with you and the kids. Also, I came from Brayden's place upstairs, so no one will know I'm here.""Granddad made it clear that if anyone finds out about this, he won't allow the kids to see you anymore.""Got it. Don't worry about a thing. Mr. Lawson Senior raised me, and I owe him for that. I won't put him in a tough
Angeline nodded without saying anything. Once Nathaniel was gone, she received a call from Sean."Now that everything has been taken care of, I want to give you a gift," he said, the smile in his tone evident. "Can you have the kids spend Friday night at Grand Court Residences? I want to show all three of you my gift on Saturday."He missed Yasmine and Xavier terribly. Before resolving the issue with Melissa, he hadn't dared to say he wanted to see them. Even if Angeline were okay with it, Robert probably would've objected to his wishes. Now that the dust had settled, he couldn't wait to see them."I don't call the shots regarding the kids now. I'll have to ask Granddad," Angeline said."I'll talk to him about it." Sean was worried Robert would take his anger out on her. "This all started because I insisted on being with you, so I'll handle it. I'll visit Mr. Lawson Senior later today."Angeline didn't know how Sean's conversation with Robert went, but Robert had Asher drop
That night, Melissa called Sean. "Shane, let's publicly announce our divorce. We can tell everyone that we only got married on paper so the Lane family could offer you its protection."Tell them that Dexter repeatedly tried to harm you so he could take the Kingston family fortune, and tell them how he tried to snatch you from the Lane family so he could secretly deal with you."She paused, then continued, "Now that Dexter's in prison, we can get a divorce, and Lori can adopt me as her daughter. We'll become cousins, and we'll still be a family.""Melissa…"Sean was surprised. He didn't expect her to see the light in such a short time."Since you don't have any feelings for me and won't ever make me your wife, I'll settle to be Lori's daughter. That way, you'll always be my family!" Tears streamed down Melissa's face as she spoke. "I adore Lori and want to be her daughter.""Alright," Sean said."Can you head to Keman with me, then? We can visit Dad together before getting
Melissa stared at Lori, who chuckled gently. "It's alright. There's no need to rush into anything. Take your time to think about it. Get good rest for a few days, then go shopping with me. We can buy some clothes to keep up with the changing seasons."I heard from Brayden and Sean that you're the expert in fashion and dressing up. I've always wanted a daughter who could shop, exercise, travel, café hop, and go on spa days with me."She paused and continued, "I didn't get to do any of this with you because you weren't in the best state before this. Now, though, you're all better. You're back to normal, and you've regained your memories!""I'd love that!" Melissa said without hesitation. She'd only done these things with her mother and Emelia in her dreams, but that was all they were—dreams. She was delighted now that Lori was back and willing to make her dreams come true.Sean sat on the couch and sipped his coffee. He knew Lori was doing everything she could to make his life ea
Melissa nodded. Sean said, "I know you have no company management experience. Mr. Lane might have entrusted Trustworth Group to me, but it's still yours. Before you find someone to take over, my plan for the company is still to move its focus back to Lonla."The global situation isn't the best now, and Lonla is the safest place for expansion. That's why the company's focus has to return to Lonla—""You can hand the company over to Brayden," Melissa interrupted. "The only people in this world I trust are you, Dad, and Brayden. Now that Dad's in prison and you don't want me anymore, Brayden is all I have left.""I'm still your kin, Melissa. I won't kick you to the curb and leave you to die. Nevertheless, Trustworth Group is yours. You can have whoever you want to manage it. Brayden is capable of that." Sean looked at Brayden. "What do you think? Are you willing to take over Trustworth Group?""I'll do it as long as Melissa is okay with it!" Brayden nodded. He turned to look
"That's not it! I've always been willing to care for you, and I'm more than willing to care for you in the future! It's not something that I'm forced to do…" Brayden feared his words would inadvertently hurt Melissa, so he decided not to continue in that vein.He said, "C'mon, you should head downstairs to eat something. You've already slept the day away.""I don't want to eat!" Melissa lay down again and pulled the sheets around herself. She said dully, "I want to sleep for a bit longer. Shut the door on your way out."Seeing that she'd already shut her eyes and started weeping, Brayden said softly, "I'll have the kitchen keep the food warm for you. Remember to call me when you wake up, okay? I'll be right downstairs!""Okay." Brayden left the room after hearing Melissa's muffled reply. He shut the door behind him.Melissa remained upstairs. She didn't head downstairs, even when Sean returned. Sean had already spoken to Angeline on the phone and told her he wouldn't meet
Melissa slept in her room and only woke up at night. She removed her headphones and opened her red, swollen eyes. She stared dazedly at the night sky, only returning to her senses when her headphones fell out of her hands.Brayden, who'd been waiting outside this whole time, heard them fall to the floor and hurried into the room. He saw Melissa sitting cross-legged on the bed. She propped herself on one arm while leaning down to pick up the headphones.He hurried forward and picked them up for her, then remained on one knee by the bed. He looked up at her and said, "You slept for ages, Melissa. Do you want to have anything to eat? I got all your favorites, and there are different cuisines. I also got your favorite fruits and snacks!"He'd already had the maids throw out the food he'd bought at noon. Then, he'd had his subordinate buy a fresh batch.Melissa turned to look at him dazedly. She said hoarsely, "Brayden…""I'm here," he said. "C'mon, should we get something to eat
Melissa knew Sean well. So, it was impossible for her not to know if he was being serious. Sean was indeed threatening her, and he was using his life to do it. That way, she wouldn't dare to harm Angeline for fear of hurting him.She loved Sean so much that she could give up her life for him. She wondered why he was treating her that way. He knew she wouldn't allow even the slightest possibility of her threatening his safety.Just then, Sean received a call from Brayden. He said, "...Yeah, I've already picked Melissa up. We're heading to Southstream Manor now… Yeah, you can head over there. Buy some food on your way—Melissa probably hasn't eaten anything yet. She should be hungry."At his words, Melissa couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She covered her face and started sobbing. She'd spent her whole life dreaming of becoming Sean's wife, but he was now in love with someone else and no longer wanted her.Yet, she couldn't do anything about the situation, or she'd be hurting